We kill them or our chickens chase and/or eat them.
We have Rat snakes, Copperheads, Cottonmouths and a bunch more, haven't seen Rattler for a few years. No Rat snakes don't keep Copperheads away. I expect to see more this year as they will be putting in a new FRWY behind us. Actually. Every snake we've come across seems to be a different one.
I believe I have lost 1 hen (my best ever layer) to a snake bite (Copperhead). My chickens have learned to chase them into the garden. The beds are covered with bird netting to keep the chickens out until the beds grow out. I have actually seen them chase a snake that was heading for me, away into the garden. Snake escaped chickens but not the netting. Got Tangled. When we cleared the netting from 1 garden bed my DH had to cut out 4 dead snakes.
That doesn't include the snake that tried to get away from my hens in their run. It climbed the fence, but the run is covered with bird netting and got tangled. We are talking BIG snakes. I have not seen any small snakes around here since we got back into chickens, I assume they find them and eat heartily.
We are going to add a foot or 2 of 1/2 inch Hardware cloth around the bottom of our fenceline because of the construction. With climbing snakes, i don't know if it will really help. But, Maybe that will cut down on the snakes. I hope so.
Oh, careful in the Hen house. I reached into a nest to check for eggs once and a nice huge rat snake was wrapped around a Beautiful Blue EE Egg. Oh Yes, I collect eggs often durig the day and clean up any broken eggs ASAP. Eggs will draw snakes. We keep our Can (Snake) Grappers handy from Frost Free until First Frost. They get used alot. I'm sorry but I hate snakes.
We have Rat snakes, Copperheads, Cottonmouths and a bunch more, haven't seen Rattler for a few years. No Rat snakes don't keep Copperheads away. I expect to see more this year as they will be putting in a new FRWY behind us. Actually. Every snake we've come across seems to be a different one.
I believe I have lost 1 hen (my best ever layer) to a snake bite (Copperhead). My chickens have learned to chase them into the garden. The beds are covered with bird netting to keep the chickens out until the beds grow out. I have actually seen them chase a snake that was heading for me, away into the garden. Snake escaped chickens but not the netting. Got Tangled. When we cleared the netting from 1 garden bed my DH had to cut out 4 dead snakes.
That doesn't include the snake that tried to get away from my hens in their run. It climbed the fence, but the run is covered with bird netting and got tangled. We are talking BIG snakes. I have not seen any small snakes around here since we got back into chickens, I assume they find them and eat heartily.
We are going to add a foot or 2 of 1/2 inch Hardware cloth around the bottom of our fenceline because of the construction. With climbing snakes, i don't know if it will really help. But, Maybe that will cut down on the snakes. I hope so.
Oh, careful in the Hen house. I reached into a nest to check for eggs once and a nice huge rat snake was wrapped around a Beautiful Blue EE Egg. Oh Yes, I collect eggs often durig the day and clean up any broken eggs ASAP. Eggs will draw snakes. We keep our Can (Snake) Grappers handy from Frost Free until First Frost. They get used alot. I'm sorry but I hate snakes.